Saturday, February 25, 2012

If you've read nothing at all about the government's "preventative services" mandate, you have got to read Cardinal George's column in the Catholic paper of the archdiocese of Chicago. It is the clearest explanation yet of what this ruling means, and what consequences we may expect from it. He is not afraid to say that one of those consequences may indeed be the end of Catholic health care. (He says, if you have a Catholic hospital in your area, get a good look at it now, because it may not be there in a year or two.) He also gives a very clear teaching on the role of bishops in the Church and the mistake many Catholics make when they prefer to go by their own lights in matters of faith. They are failing to take into consideration the light Jesus had when he decided to vest the apostles with his own teaching authority. (This belief in a teaching authority that comes in direct line from Jesus is actually the reason we are Catholic!)
On the issue of the day the Cardinal is pushing hard enough that I found his column rather startling, and not just in what he said. What is most startling to me is that someone of the Cardinal's stature (both in terms of his "rank" and in terms of his stratospheric intellect) would say such things so baldly. He is not playing nice-nice, but trying to help us really get a sense of what is at stake.
His approach may cause some to bristle... but it is exactly what Flannery O'Connor wrote about in a letter commenting on her book "The Violent Bear It Away" (I read this passage last night in the biography by Gooch):
"You have to push as hard as the age that pushes against you."
Come to think of it, that's a really good motto for Lent, too!

Nunblogger

Catholic sister (nun) of the Daughters of St. Paul, an international community founded in 1915 for evangelization in the world of communication. Singer, writer and speaker for Pauline Books & Media (US) currently working on digital projects for my community and its publishing ministry.